The present invention is directed to a pallet having a frame whose upper part, at least sides thereof, is provided with edges projecting from the pallet, a frame structure being arranged inside the frame, the pallet further including a loading surface onto which a load is to be arranged.
In a known pallet, the frame which forms the framing or framework of the pallet is implemented such that the sides and ends of the pallet are provided with edges projecting from the pallet. Such a structure is achieved e.g. by using interconnected L-shaped bars turned upside down or appropriately profiled rails. In order to strengthen the structure of the pallet, a frame structure is arranged inside the frame of the pallet, comprising bars running across the pallet. Excluding the corners of the pallet, the upper part of the pallet is provided with a loading surface made of plywood, onto which a load is to be arranged. On top of the loading surface, in turn, there is a friction surface made of rubber sheet arranged to prevent the load from moving on the pallet and to suppress vibrations and impacts the load is subjected to. The pallet is designed to be moved by a particular road transport means which comprises an open bottom cargo space and which is capable of receiving and carrying a pallet and a load arranged thereon without being assisted by a forklift truck or a loader. The corners of the pallet are provided with corner elements through which locking holes are formed. The pallet can be locked to the above transport means using locking elements to be arranged into the locking holes such that the pallet forms the bottom of the cargo space of the transport means, stiffening the structure of the transport means. The aim is to make the structure of the pallet as low and as light as possible. The low structure of the pallet enables rather tall loads to be transported in the cargo space of the transport means. The lightness of the pallet enables the proportion of effective load from the total weight of the transport means to be raised as high as possible. Despite the frame and the frame structure inside the frame, due to the above reasons the pallet is very flexible, however, which is why in practice the pallet, particularly while carrying a load, can only be lifted almost exclusively by lifting means which support the pallet by the edges on the sides of the pallet substantially over the entire length of the pallet. This restricts the usability of the pallet in railroad traffic and sea transport since the pallet cannot be lifted and moved by loaders arranged to lift e.g. containers by their ends that are typically used in terminals and ports.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved pallet which is easy to use also in railroad traffic and sea transport.
The pallet of the invention is characterized in that both sides of the pallet are provided with stiffening elements arranged to stiffen the pallet in its longitudinal direction, enabling the pallet, even while carrying a load, to be lifted without the pallet substantially bending in the longitudinal direction.
According to the basic idea of the invention, a pallet comprising a frame whose upper part, at least sides thereof, is provided with edges projecting from the pallet, a frame structure being arranged inside the frame, the pallet further comprising a loading surface onto which a load is to be arranged, can be stiffened in the longitudinal direction by means of stiffening elements to be arranged in both sides of the pallet, enabling the pallet, even while carrying a load, to be lifted without the pallet substantially bending in the longitudinal direction. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, both sides of the pallet are provided with separate stiffening elements arranged to stiffen the pallet in the longitudinal direction, enabling the pallet, even while carrying a load, to be lifted by its ends without the pallet substantially bending in the longitudinal direction. According to a second preferred embodiment of the invention, the corners of the pallet are provided with corner elements comprising locking holes, the sides and ends of the pallet, excluding the point where the corner elements are located, being provided with recesses or reductions, enabling the pallet to be stiffened by means of the stiffening elements such that the total width and/or total length of a stiffened pallet corresponds to the total width and/or total length of the original unstiffened pallet. According to a third preferred embodiment of the invention, a fixed protective housing to protect the load is arranged in connection with the stiffening elements such that the stiffened pallet and the fixed protective housing constitute a container which is fit for sea transport and which can be lifted by its ends.
An advantage of the invention is that in addition to road transport, the pallet can easily and simply also be used in railroad traffic and sea transport since the pallet, even while carrying a load, can be lifted and moved by cranes and loaders ordinarily used in terminals and ports by employing auxiliary equipment. The fixed protective housing enables a stiffened pallet to be made into a compact container already at the factory, while loading cargo. When the size of the stiffened pallet corresponds to the size of the bottom of a twenty-feet container used in sea transport, using the fixed protective housing enables the pallet to be turned into a container structure utilizing the cargo space of a ship to the full.